Belitsos appointed to statewide commission to fight tobacco use in Iowa

Thursday

Mar 9, 2017 at 4:24 PMMar 9, 2017 at 8:35 PM

By Austin Harrington Staff Writer aharrington@amestrib.com

Ames resident George Belitsos was recently appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad to serve on a statewide commission that focuses on reducing the use of tobacco in the state. Belitsos will begin as the newest member of the Commission on Tobacco Use Prevention and Control for Iowa following a state Senate review, which is expected to happen in the near future.

The commission was established to create a comprehensive partnership among state government, local communities and the people of Iowa to foster a social and legal climate in which tobacco use becomes undesirable and unacceptable, according to the state’s website.

Belitsos, founder and former CEO of Youth and Shelter Services, was appointed to serve a three-year term on the commission and he said that he has some very clear issues he’d like to address in that time.

“I really appreciate the governor appointing me, and I have a lot I would like to accomplish,” Belitsos said.

According to Belitsos, the list of things he would like to accomplish from his newly appointed position includes combating a recent rise in the number of people who smoke in the state.

“I wanted to participate on the commission because I’m concerned about the uptick in smoking in our state, and I think there’s a lot more we can do legislatively, with education and by increasing taxes on cigarettes,” Belitsos said.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there are roughly 500,000 people who smoke in the state. About 5,100 Iowans died last year due to smoking-related illnesses, and 2,600 Iowa youth each year are considered daily smokers by the time they turn 18. Those numbers are on the rise after years of falling rates partially due to the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes or nicotine vaporizers, which is an area where the commission has not taken a strong stand, Belitsos said. That is something Belitsos plans on changing.

“I’m hoping to get the commission to start taking a more aggressive stand against electronic cigarettes,” Belitsos said.

To take on that issue, Belitsos said that there needs to be a lot done to stop the type of marketing that is currently seen as acceptable for vaporizers, even if it would not be acceptable for the typical big tobacco companies.

“They now have 500 flavors of electronic cigarettes, including bubble gum, which is the most popular, and cotton candy, which is the second most popular. Now, who do you think is buying bubble gum and cotton candy flavored nicotine?” Belitsos said. “They’re marketing to kids.”

Along with going after current marketing techniques, Belitsos said he would also like to see the state increase funding back to levels it was at in 2008 before the Legislature decreased spending for anti-tobacco usage initiatives by half; a $1 dollar increase in the cigarette tax; a statewide law adding electronic devices to the smoke-free air act; and the state’s return to policies that allowed people struggling with a nicotine addiction to receive necessary medicine at no cost.

“That’s something we need to get on top of, because this is a life and death situation for these people,” Belitsos said. “They need the help of that medication. I don’t think the public realizes what’s been happening. We’re really going backwards.”

This will not be the first time that Belitsos has had a hand in fighting the tobacco industry for Iowans. He was formerly a member of the tobacco task force that helped create a smoking ordinance in Ames to stop smoking in any bars and restaurants that serve food. The ban was the first of its kind in Iowa, but eventually a similar ban was adopted across the state.

With that experience and the determination to help others quit using nicotine products, Belitsos said he is excited to begin working with the commission.

“I have a lot that I would like to accomplish and I think I may be more of an anti-big tobacco activist than some of the appointees,” Belitsos said.

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